Bruno has called for patience with rising star Tariq Lamptey as he prepares to face his old club.

But he says his young right-back successor – who turns 20 next month - is "an amazing kid".

Lamptey could tackle Chelsea in a friendly before up to 2,524 fans at the Amex today (3pm).

The clubs meet again in the Premier League opener a fortnight on Monday.

Chelsea boss Frank Lampard was disappointed to see Lamptey move to Albion at the end of the January transfer window.

After having to wait for a chance, he shone in the final weeks of last season.

He is expected to fill a wing-back role in head coach Graham Potter’s team plans.

Bruno has a big part to play with Lamptey, who has taken over down the right from the more experienced Martin Montoya and Ezequiel Schelotto.

The former skipper said: “We know how good he is as a player already because we’ve seen him. He is an amazing kid.

“I’m really impressed with his manners, his education, the way he works.

“With full-backs, I try to help if they need some solutions.

“Sometimes they face different problems and you try to help.

“Some have more experience like Monty and Galgo but he's 19 years old, first time in a professional environment playing games week in week out.

“We will see improvement from him and we need to give him some space and patience to keep performing well, performing well, performing well week in and week out.”

The Argus:

Tariq Lamptey gets in a crunching tackle against Newcastle

Fans loved Bruno’s touches and tricks but he was also a serious defender, be it when covering the far post or winning tackles while staying on his feet.

He says the uglier side must come first for Lamptey, despite his attacking flair.

He added: “In modern football full-backs are really important - but you need to do the basics right.

“He is so coachable that, whenever you try to help him, he will take it on board. That’s the main thing.”